| |
| |
|
Fishing Information |
|
|
|
The Yellowfins from HELL!
Hi Lee Palm/Red Rooster crew(San Diego - California).. Keep my rail spot cool for me - won't you? Fishing Report from Nassau Bahamas (8-10-2000)(Thursday)(Air Temperature 92 degrees. Water temp. - mid 80's degrees). Clear skies, no wind and burning hot sun. Caught two Yellowfins in the 60-pound range that almost sent me to the hospital. Caught 2 YFY on Thursday - fishing "solo" aboard my WellCraft Scarab that had just been repowered with two 225 Evinrude fichts (cost was $28,000 including the installation). Both YFT went about 70#s each (83 pounds of filet). Drift fished with fresh/frozen squid to start. Began fishing at 9:30AM and quit at 2PM. As I arrived at the US Navy's AUTEC buoy 10 miles offshore (a practice area for the US Navy's nuclear subs - which show up on the surface now and then)(the AUTEC buoy is in 6,000 feet of water) Capt. Robbie New (from Trinidad) of the "Little Trick" was just starting to fish. For the first hour all I managed was a 2 pound jack - that I later used for bait. Robbie was having no luck either, but we saw several 50# YFTs come high out of the water several times, so that kept us anticipating. At around 11:00 AM my bow rod with 80 pound test line and 80# green Berkley trilene leader, with a small Mustard circle hook on the end (with a 100# test Sampo swivel in between) went off. I had just seen a big YFT fly through the area minutes before, and I was thinking I had him or his cousin - for sure. The line screamed out, and the fish ran deep. Everything pointed to a YFT, but after about 10 minutes I saw a 25 pound foot shark on my line, hooked right in the mouth with the circle hook. Leaving the shark on the line in the rodholder, I sat down for a drink of water - out of a gallon plastic jug in my cooler. Cut him loose, I thought to myself. But, then I remembered how many YFT's I'd caught using shark as bait, and went to take another look at him. He was a good 4 feet long. Normally too big to bother with, but the fishing was slow, and I decided to take him. Even though I knew he would thrash about crazy-like when I gaffed him, I decided to go for it, but I missed my 5-foot long fishbox, and watched him go bonkers on my deck, as I hustled to slide him into the Scarab's 2-1/2 foot deep fishbox. By 12 noon I switched from "squid" to the fresh jack for bait on all three of my poles. By now, the shark was dead, so I dragged him to the stern and started to filet him - throwing bits and pieces of shark meat overboard - with plenty of blood being washed overboard with my saltwater thru-hull washdown pump. I filleted one side of the shark, took the skin and cut it into 5 pieces, and through it over the side. All the time - washing the blood and guts overboard. I cut the shark's giant liver into small pieces, and watched them float on the surface - as I slowly drifted along towards to AUTEC Buoy. Within 5 minutes of cutting into this shark, the bow line went off - "screaming". This time I knew it was probably a YFT. The fish had hit the 80# test trilene line on a 5-1/2 foot Palm Beach tuna rod, held in a Perko side mount rodholder. I immediately scrambled about for my harness and playmate belt. Several times the YFT would stop his run deep, and I'd reel the line in fast to make sure there was no slack in the line, and smiled when I felt his weight again on my pole. But, it was 95 degrees in the sun, and I was about to expedience something in 8 years of YFT fishing (and over 350 caught and landed), that was going to make this no ordinary day on the water. After picking up the rod and snapping into the harness, I began the slow process of bringing him to color. I was grateful he had picked the rod with the 80# test line, as the other two reels (Shimano graphite a Penn 30W) had 50# test Trilene (Big Game) line, and fighting a YFT on 50# test line is a completely different ball game. Fifteen minutes into the struggle, my thumb (on the reel) got an awful cramp, and actually stuck to my palm. I couldn't understand why this was happening, but kept going - attempting to shake off the cramp. A few minutes later the cramps spread to my forearm - then up to my biceps. I'm 220 pounds, a former HS All American swimmer, and 4 time NY State gold medallist, so I'd been through tough workouts, but this was something I never dealt with. Even my legs were cramping up. There was no wind, no cover from my bimini top, and it was 95 degrees in the shade. It all added up to one thing - "Heat Exhaustion". To cool off I tried stepped into a 5-gallon bucket of saltwater, but this didn't help one iota. My feet were also too big for the bucket. In addition, I was getting unusually tired - FAST. HEAT EXHAUSTION had set in, and was challenging me like "The old man and the sea". It took me 55 minutes to land this 70-pound YFT, but I finally got him in the boat. Boy, was I relieved. Usually I wash all the blood off my boat immediately upon landing a fish, but this time I went to the stern, turned on the saltwater pump, sat on my cooler, and just let that saltwater run over my head for 5 minutes. I finished off about 3/4 of that gallon jug of water too. As I slowly headed back in the direction of Capt. Robbie's "Little Trick", the cool air hitting my Toronto Raptor NBA Jersey (#14 worn by Vince Carter) made me feel much better, but I still wasn't 100%. By the way, you might want to purchase one of these NBA "Jersey's sometime. You'll know why the NBA uses them. They are 1000 times cooler than anything cotton or other material. I have a Laker's #34 too. My favorite. I waved at Capt. Robbie, as I passed slowly off his stern, and he shouted - "I thought you were fighting 2 YFT, you were gone so long." Anyway, I set up again to try for another (YFT). Now I'm using white shark chunks on all my hooks, and chunking with the fresh shark - as the lines are let out. About 45 minutes later, the stern line goes off - screaming. This is my Penn 30 International with no leader and 50# Trilene line - no swivel. Christ, I said to myself, why did this fish do this to me? The hook on this line was only a #4 Mustard live bait hook - that you can buy 50 to a package for under $10 at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. This was going to be a whole new "ballgame". I'm going to have to be "gentle" on the drag - or he'll bite through the trilene, or pull the hook. As it turned out, I eventually got this YFT to color after over one hour. I experienced the same cramps as before, and at one point - on this fish - I thought about "giving up". It wasn't the fact that I get $6 a pound for the fillet (from my restaurant friends) that kept me at the rail, but the thought of cutting a YFT off was out of the question. After gaffing this 70# YFT and pulling him over the gunwale, I trolled by Robbie (who stayed until 7PM and caught not a one) and waved - saying I'm going home. True Story. THE END Capt. Solo - aka Tom Azzara Tom's Fishing Gallery. http://endtaxes.com/images/gallery.html Take a break, and check out these pictures from the 6th annual Billabong's fishing tournament held in Nassau, in the sunny, tax free Bahamas. click onto (or browser it) below.... http://endtaxes.com/images/gallery2.html From: Lee Palm Long Range Sportfishers TRIP #14; August 6th to August 11th 5-Day Trip: The second of the three back-to-back 5-dayers in the Red Rooster III's summer schedule once again provided outstanding fishing for her passengers. Chuck Melber of Agoura CA led the way with a 84.1 lb. bluefin tuna to take the jackpot, followed by a 79.8 lb. bigeye for Justin Christensen of Newbury Park CA and a 73 lb. bluefin for Joe The trip fished as far down as Guadalupe Island for some excellent grade yellowfin, but the albacore grounds closer to home yeilded limits of the longfins and a good take on the bigger bluefin as well. "We had some really exceptional moments," noted co-captain Jeff DeBuys, "but none FISH COUNT: LIMITS OF ALBACORE, 52 BLUEFIN TUNA, 49 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 45
Thomas Azzara MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Information on the Rainbow Trout Rainbow trout are a fresh water fish. They are aggressive fish in that they put up a great fight for the fisherman. Why Water Skiing and Fishing Dont Mix With the fourth of July weekend freshly behind us, I am reminded of one of the darker moments in a long and illustrious series of dark fishing moments.. Why Do I Fish? As part of an email discussion list I'm part of, the subject of following our passions came up. I mentioned that one of my lifelong passions was fishing. Marine News Fall 2004 - Endangered and Threatened in Florida Our oceans are home to many marine mammals, fish, turtles, corals and others. The delicate balance between man and the ocean is constantly being challenged by the demands of our society. Trout Species - Brook Trout Brook Trout: Frequently gullible, yet extremely tasty, Brook Trout are wonderful trout to fish for - especially since they frequently inhabit the most beautiful stream settings in the U.S. Swordfishing in South Florida Southeast Florida Swordfishing - "Purple Fever"Once you have your tackle ready to go, let us describe a typical drift out in South Florida's Gulf Stream. We are basing this drift using 4 lines. Some Things You May Not Know About Luring Fish In The Night Night fishing is becoming more and more popular recently, and for good reason.Not only do you get cooler temperatures, less competition and congestion for the best areas, but there are also many more opportunities for bigger catches. Techniques of Wet Fly Fishing Many anglers who are new to fly fishing consider dry fly fishing the "traditional" way of catching trout. Well, that's not entirely true. Fishing Fall Bass - Early Fall Fishing for Bass in the Northwest as the Seasons Change You have just rolled out of bed, poured you coffee and there it is. You knew it was coming, but it is real, it is here. Stream Trout Fishing Many people enjoy a nice, long fishing trip. Others enjoy fishing trips that take them to new places and new types of fishing. I Gave A Brand New Rod And Reel To An Alligator For Free One day a friend and I decided to go fishing in Florida. It was a beautiful day and we were going in my friend's boat, so we got up at 4 AM and was on our way for about an hour's drive. The Ubiquitous Woolly Bugger The ubiquitous Woolly Bugger, never quite spelled correctly to my eyes, appeals to the eyes of every gamefish imaginable. If I had one pattern to fish the rest of my life, no matter what the fish, no matter what the conditions, this would be it. The Frugal Fisherman: Part II For those of you that don't know this, fishermen by nature are a frugal lot.Being penny wise and pound foolish is standard fare, and I am no different. Do You Make Your Kids Fishing Experience Enjoyable? If you take your children fishing with you, they can enjoy something for the rest of their lives, as long as you make it pleasant for them.If on the other hand, you yell, scream and get upset with them a lot, then they won't enjoy it and neither will you. Eel And Eelskin Lures Eel and eelskin lures are used mostly in saltwater to catch such fish as striped bass, bluefish, snook, and marlin. The most difficult part about making eel and eelskin lures will often be obtaining the eels themselves. The Joys of Trout Fishing The thrill of trout fishing! It is the best, isn't it? No matter where you plan to go trout fishing, you know you are more than likely going to enjoy your trip. The sport is a sport of its own, set aside from other types of fishing. Surf Fishing The Outer Banks of North Carolina My first experience surf fishing was with my father on Wrightsville Beach, NC in the 60's. He parked our shiny black Ford Fairlane in a gravel parking lot off the beach and we hiked over the dunes to the surf, carrying rods, buckets, tackle box and various other fishing paraphernalia. Drop-Shotting For Picky-Overfished Bass There is a fairly new technique when it comes to bass fishing but it works great especially when bass are under a lot of pressure, it's called drop-shotting. When you see other fishermen using worms and fishing the edges of creek channels, try this and fish the bottom of the channels instead of the edges. Do You Know How to Fillet a Fish? Finally you've caught the perfect fish. Now, do you know how to fillet your fish? You can't be happier. How to Fish Spring Trout Streams Fishing spring creeks isn't easy. Don't expect large quantities of catches, but do expect a challenging experience which has a certain mystique about it.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
